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Trimark Trimark Named Top Utility-Scale Solar Monitoring Provider in the World

September 12, 2017

Trimark, a leading provider of measurement, SCADA and communications solutions for the electric power industry, announces it is the world's top ranked monitoring software vendor for utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants based on total monitored PV capacity as of June 2017, according to GTM Research & SOLICHAMBA in their upcoming Global PV Monitoring 2017 report.

Trimark's software is used to monitor 6.493 Gigawatts (GW) of PV power generation at 170 utility-scale PV power plants. Trimark's monitoring solutions include secure data telemetry to support utility and Independent System Operator (ISO) energy management. In addition, Trimark's PV monitoring is integrated into its advanced, T1-S SCADATM (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) platform for management, forecasting, asset planning and operational control.

The ranking was determined by a research project soon to be published by GTM Research & SOLICHAMBA. This report is the solar industry's only comprehensive analysis of global PV monitoring markets, technologies and vendors.

"Throughout our 17 years, Trimark has installed our solutions in the largest solar sites in the world," said Mark Morosky, Trimark's President and CEO. "As a single-source partner, EPCs and resource owners trust Trimark to deliver turnkey solutions and support them from concept to commissioning.."

"Trimark's growth in PV monitoring closely mirrors the growth of PV in California," said Bob Wood, Trimark's Chief Technology Officer. "First, ISO's and utilities require secure data telemetry for monitoring and control to support grid stability. Second, the growth in utility-scale solar development has created a market for integrated business and operational systems that enable sophisticated control and management strategies."

Deregulation and the RPS Drive Growth in the PV Industry

Following deregulation in 1998, California's energy market experienced a paradigm shift. Independent power producers began building plants in response to the mandate for ownership diversification. Then, in 2002, California adopted a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that triggered further construction of utility-scale solar plants. In order to manage all of these new, distributed resources while maintaining grid stability, the California ISO (CAISO) requires secure, real-time monitoring and control through a certified Remote Intelligent Gateway (RIG). That's where Trimark comes in.

Between 1998 and 2005, the only authorized CAISO RIG on the market was Siemens' Telegear. In 2005, Trimark introduced the first alternative to Siemens by providing a RIG based on Alstom's Areva software. Then, in 2011, Trimark introduced T1-S Gateway - its own CAISO-approved RIG software. To date, Trimark's T1-S Gateway RIG has been installed in hundreds of generation resources spanning every prime mover from solar to nuclear.

As a result of deregulation and the RPS, California has evolved from small solar systems installed on rooftops to massive, grid-connected PV plants that can contribute more than 500 MW of power to the grid. This resulted in monitoring systems evolving further into systems that support a wider span of functionality.

"Naturally, utility-scale PV plants require utility-scale monitoring and control tools to meet their compliance, operations and business requirements," said Wood. "Trimark has continued to improve our monitoring and control systems to satisfy both the business interests of the owner and the grid stability requirements of the ISO and utility."

"Trimark built its T1-S SCADA to look and feel like a business tool while executing advanced closed-loop logic required to stabilize electric power characteristics at the point of interconnection," said Wood. "You don't need to be an engineer to use Trimark's system."

Trimark innovates with continuous product enhancements to serve evolving business and operational needs. These include applying SCADA systems to support plant commissioning, manage resource portfolios, forecast power production, manage assets and comply with NERC CIP requirements.